Clip crimping machine



Jan. 7, 1941. P. F. SCHOEN CLIP CRIMPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1938 2Sheets-Sheet l 1N VENTOR.

PazJZ f1 Sciwen.

1941' P. F. SCHOEN CLIP CRIMPINQ MACHINE Filed Aug. 25, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I m 8 2 M/ v. w 8 2 .5 8 1 2 X g m INVENTOR. PawZ f.Jakaen. I

ATTORN I 35 machine.

Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES CLIP CRHHPING MACHINE Paul I Schoen,Dcarborn, Mich asoignor to Doha Aluminum & Brass Corporation, Detroit,Mich a corporation of Michigan Application August 25. 1938, Serial No.226,776

' s cu (ciao-1i This invention relates to a clip-crimping machine whichis designed to crimp a substantially U-shaped clip strip upon adjacentflanges of separate flanged strips in order to flrmly unite the flangedstripsinto a substantially unitary structure.

The flanged strips are extruded from aluminum, or similar material, andit is desired to unite two or more of them into a unitary structuresuitable 10 for use in refrigerators, or similar installations.

The machine of the present invention provides a simple and eflicientmeans for uniting such strips with a clip-strip at a single pass throughthe machine.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe description proceeds. While a preferred form of the machine isreferred to herein for purposes of illustration, it should be understoodthat various changes may be made 20 without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the main operating partof the machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the part 25 shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is an enlargedcross-section of part of the machine. Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentarycross-section 30 illustrating the position of the clip-strip and theadjacent flanges prior to passing the parts through the machine.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the position of the partsafter passage through the Gal tFig. 7 is an isometric view of the end ofa clips rip.

Referring to the drawings more particularly, the main part of themachine comprises a frame 40 ill in which a base roller I I is mountedon a horizontal axis. A head I2 is movable vertically in the frame I0,and'carries the operating rollers as will be described more particularlyhereafter.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the base 45 roller ll revolveson pintles is, suitable bearing bushings It being interposed between therollers II and pintles IS. The movable head I! carries in its lower parta shaft I 5 which is horizontal and parallel to the axis of base rollerI I. Mounted 50 on shaft it are two hold-down rollers I I. A

presser roller I1 is mounted between the holddown rollers l6 and is ofsmaller diameter than hold-down rollers It. A pair of crimping rollersi8 are mounted on vertical axes, one on each side 55 of the presserroller ll. As illustrated more particularly in Fig. 4, each of thecrimping rollers I8 is rotatably mounted on the stud l9 and is heldagainst vertical displacement-by a peened-over head 20, thestud'engaging a recess in the lower face of roller l8. 5

The lateral sides of head ii are confined in guide-ways 2| formed inframe ill, and guideblocks 22 are secured to the lower part of head I!to assist in aligning it. -The head I2 is normally biased downwardlytoward the base roller in any suitable manner, such as the springs 23,and suitable means such as cam 24 is provided for elevating the head I!when desired.

The strips 25 which are to be united in this machine, as illustrated incross-section in Fig. 4, have a flat lower face 26 and an upwardlyextending tubular body 21. Lateral flanges 28 extend upwardly along eachedge of the strip, and each of theseflanges is undercut along its innerface as indicated at 29. Strips of this shape are extruded fromaluminum, or similar material, particularlyfor use in refrigerationunits, and it is necessary to unite them in side by side relation-inorder to build up a cooler unit or other suitable heat exchange unit.The present machine pro-- vides a simple and expeditious method ofmechanically uniting the adjacent flanges of two strips by crimpingaclip-strip upon them.

The clip-strip 30, also extruded from aluminum, is illustrated in Fig. 7in its original condition, and it will be seen that it has asubstantially U-shaped interior contour, and that its exterior contouris: also substantially U-shaped except for the laterally projecting ribs3l on the outside of the downwardly extending walls of the clip-strip.These ribs 3| provide excess material which is deformed into theundercut grooves 29 of flanges 28, as will hereafter appear.

Prior to operation of the machine, two of the flanged strips areassembled in the side by side relation illustrated in Fig. 4, and aclip-strip 30 is then laid over the adjacent flanges 28 to the positionillustrated in Fig. 5. By a suitable manual instrument the sides ofclip-strip 30 are com- 1 pressed for a short distance at the lead end ofthe strip, deformingthe ribs 3| into the undercut grooves 29, thusstraightening the'sides of clipstrip 30 and causing the excess materialof-ribs 3| to substantially flll the undercut grooves 29. as.

illustrated in Fig. 6. g After thelead end of the stripshasthus-suitably been prepared, the head I: is moved-to itsraisedpositionby operation of cam 24. The pro-f pared end of the strips istheninserted betweenbase roller II and the rollers carried b zrnovablefgts presser roller ll presses upon the top of clip-strip 30;and the two crimping rollers i8 closely engage the lateral straightsides of clip-strip 30 but have their lower ends sufficiently elevatedso as to avoid frictional contact with the upper faces of strips 25.With the parts in this position, the strips are now drawn through themachine by any suitable mechanism, and in this drawing operation rollersi8 continue the previously startedopera-- tion of deforming flanges 3iinwardly, thus crimping the clip-strip upon flanges 28 in the mannerillustrated in'Fig. 6 for the full length of the strips to be. united.

It will be clear that the upper surface of base roller i l providesmeans for maintaining the lower faces 26 of strips in the same plane,and that such'alignment is assured by the downward pressure of hold-downrollers l6 and presser rollers ll; It 'willbe clear, since thelstripsbeing operated upon are engaged solely by rollers during their I:passage through the machine, the frictional re- ,lsistance is, reducedto a minimum. It will, of

course, beunderstood that some or all of these rollers could be replacedby stationary parts pressing against the strips, but such substitutionwould, of course, increase the frictional resistance and hence the powerneeded to operate the machine.

It should also be understood that while the machine illustrated isdesigned to unite only two strips 25, the machine could by addition ofsuitable rollers be adapted to united any desired number of stripssimultaneously.

Any suitable means can be used for drawing the strips through themachine, one form being illustrated in Fig. 3 in which a drawing head 32is movable along a table 33. The lead end of strips 25 after having beenprepared as above described and threaded through the rollers is securedto the drawing head 32 by clamp 34. After the rollers have been moved tothe operative position previously described, the drawing head is movedto- .ward the right of Figure 3 by means of chain 35 operated by crank36. Any other preferred manual or power means could, of course, be usedto move drawing head 32.

I claim:

1. A clip-crimping machine adapted to crimp a clip-strip having agenerally U-shaped crosssection upon adjacent undercut flanges ofseparate flanged strips, said machine comprising a base roller 1 uponwhich the lower sideof the flanged strips is supported, a presser rollerpressing the clip-strip down upon the flanges of the flanged strips, acrimping roller mounted on each side of the presser roller, the crimpingrollers engaging the sides of, the clip-strip and pressing them intostrips and holding the grooves of the undercut flanges, hold-down meansengaging the upper surface of the flanged them against the base roller,and "means for drawing the work pieces through the machine.

I 2. A clip-crimping machine adapted to crimp a clip-strip having agenerally U-shaped crossction upon adjacent undercut flanges of separateflanged strips, said machine comprising a base Jroller upon which thelower side of the flanged strips is supported, a presser roller pressingthe section with ribs projecting from its sides and to crimp the sidesof the clip-strip into holding engagement with adjacent undercut flangesof separate flanged strips, said machine comprising a base rollermounted on a horizontal axis and supporting the flat lower side of theflanged strips, a presser roller mounted on a horizontal axis andpressing the clip-strip down upon the flanges of the flanged strip, acrimping roller mounted on a vertical axis on each side of the presserroller,

the crimping rollers engaging the sides of the clip-strip and distortingthe ribs of the clip-strip into the grooves formed by the undercutflanges, a hold-down roller mounted on a horizontal axis on each side ofthe crimping rollers, the hold-down rollers engaging the upper'surfaceof the flanged strips and pressing them against the base roller, andmeans for drawing the work pieces through the machine.

4. A clip-crimping machine comprising a frame, a base roller mounted ona. horizontal axis in the frame, a head movable in the frame and biaseddownwardly toward the base roller during normal operation of themachine, means for holding the head in a position elevated from the baseroller while work pieces are being assembled in the machine, a pluralityof hold-down rollers mounted in the head on a horizontal axis andadapted to assume a work position close to the surface of the baseroller, a presser roller mounted in the head on a horizontal axis andlocated between the holddown rollers, the presser roller being spacedfrom the base roller a greater distance than are the hold-down rollers,and a pair of crimping rollers,

one of the crimping rollers being mounted on each side of the presserroller, the crimping rollers being mounted on vertical axes andprojecting toward the base roller substantially as far as do thehold-down rollers.

5. A clip-crimping machine comprising a frame, a base roller mounted ona horizontal axis in the frame, a head movable in the frame and springbiased downwardly toward the base roller during normal operation of themachine, cam means for holding the head in a position elevated from thebase roller while work pieces are being assembled in the machine, aplurality of hold-down rollers mounted in the head on a horizontal axisand adapted to assume a work position close to the surface of the baseroller, a presser roller mounted in the head on a horizontal axis andlocated between the hold-down rollers, the periphery of the presserroller being spaced from the base roller a greater distance than are thehold-down rollers, a pair of crimping rollers, one of the crimpingrollers being mounted on each side of the presser roller, the crimpingrollers being mounted on vertical axes and projecting toward the baseroller substantially as far as do the hold-down rollers, and means fordrawing the work pieces through the machine.

PAUL F. SCHOEN.-

